Okay, quick summary of why this is horrific:

1) Encryption is a solved problem for 40 years. Block companies in five nations from implementing it well, and you guarantee that everyone *but* those using products from those companies can get it.

2) There’s no such thing as “backdoors for good guys.” A backdoor is identical to a security vulnerability. The only difference between the good guys and the bad guys is that the good guys will know how to get there, and the bad guys have to figure it out (possibly by bribing a good guy—unless it’s ridiculously easy to find, which is often the case).

3) Depending on how broadly this is interpreted, say goodbye to secure bank connections and other Internet traffic, most of which (and obviously, all US) routes through the US.

4) Agreements and enforcements by these supernational organizations are typically secretive; you won’t know who’s implemented it until either there’s another Snowden, or someone publicizes they’ve open a backdoor.

5) Likewise, such agreements are very difficult to affect politically, as any one nation can respond to political pressure with, “the alliance has asked us to do it.”

‘Five Eyes’ governments call on tech giants to build encryption backdoors — or else

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